I. Overview

Ruled by Indian National Congress,
Arunachal Pradeshdoes not have armed opposition
groups (AOGs) of its own but continued
to be affected by conflict in neighbouringStates. The United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), National Socialist Council of
Nagalim-IM (NSCN-IM), National Socialist Council of Nagalim-K (NSCN-K), People’s
Liberation Army (PLA) and United National Liberation Front (UNLF) have been
reportedly active.[1]According to the
Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), 12 civilians were killed in
security related incidents during 2007.[2]On
23 December 2007, former Member of Parliament Wangcha Rajkumar was shot dead by
suspected cadres of NSCN (I-M) at Deomali under Tirap district.[3]

The construction of
dams in Arunachal Pradesh was the subject of debate in 2007. In June 2007, the Gauhati High Court issued
notices following a PIL moved by the Environment Protecton & Sustainable
Society (EPSS) to 10 respondents, including the Central Government and the
State governments of Arunachal Pradesh and Asom, regarding the allocation of
hydro-power projects.[4]

According to the crime statistics
of Arunachal Pradesh Police, a total of 2,266 incidents of crime were recorded
during 2007. These included 68 cases of murder, 28 cases of attempt to murder,
67 cases of abduction and murder and 49 cases of rape, among others.[5]

There were 39 vacancies and a total
of 5,257 cases were pending in the District and Subordinates Courts in
Arunachal Pradesh as on 30 September 2007.[6]

Chakma and Hajong migrants continued to be denied enrollment
into electoral rolls.

According to the information obtained by Asian Centre for Human Rights
through the Right to Information (RTI) Act, the NHRC received one case of death
in police custody and one case of death in judicial custody in Arunachal
Pradesh during the period of 1 April 2006 to 31 March 2007.

As more and more AOGs set up bases
in Arunachal Pradesh, civilians are increasingly
subjected to human rights violation perpetrated by security forces during counter
insurgency operations. In April 2007, army personnel abused villagers of Namgo area in Lohit
district after an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast by suspected ULFA killed two
personnel. The personnel allegedly entered houses, destroyed household items
and kept the villagers confined overnight without food or water for harbouring
militants.[7]

Incidents of sexual violence by the
law enforcement personnel have also been reported.On the night of 29 March 2007,
Subhash Chandra Adhikari, a Senior Superintendent of Police posted in Itanagar,
was arrested on charges of raping his domestic help. The victim alleged that
the accused locked her up in his official residence and raped her for 15 days.[8]

In July 2007, Narayan Singh Bisht,
a jawan of 23 Assam Rifles, was arrested on charges of molestation a woman at
Longding in Tirap district.[9]

On the night of 20 October 2007, two
personnel of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) allegedly attempted to rape
two tribal school girls at Kimin in Papumpare district.[10]

In June 2007, the State government
of Arunachal Pradesh headed by Chief Minister DorjeeKhandu formed a high powered committee to
find out an amicable solution to the Chakma-Hajong issue. The high powered committee headed
by Speaker of the Arunachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly, SetongSena and includes, among others, all
four Members of Legislative Assembly of the Chakma-Hajong inhabited Assembly
Constituencies as members.

Both the All Arunachal Pradesh Students' Union (AAPSU)
and the Committee for Citizenship Rights of the Chakmas and Hajongs of Arunachal Pradesh (CCRCHAP) welcomed the establishment of the Committee.

At the same time, over 12,000 Chakma and Hajong eligible voters continued to be denied enrollment
into electoral rolls. Electoral activities in the four Chakma-Hajong inhabited
Assembly Constituencies of 14-Doimukh, 46-Chowkham, 49-Bordumsa-Diyun and
50-Miao remained suspended as a result of complaints of bias on the part of
the local electoral officials.

On 6 September 2007, the Election
Commission of India revoked the suspension and ordered the conduct of Special
Summary Revision of electoral rolls. The Election Commission issued specific
guidelines as to how to conduct the revision of electoral rolls in the Chakma and Hajong areas. As earlier, the local
electoral officials who are also employees of the State Government of Arunachal
Pradesh did not comply with the guidelines and instead they imposed their own
directions to ensure that even the 1,497 previously enrolled voters were deleted. As many as 36 out of 326 enrolled voters were deleted from 14-Chowkham Assembly Constituency even before beginning of the
Special Summary Revision 2007.

In 49-Bordumsa-Diyun and 50-Miao Assembly Constituencies several Chakma villages were not
even officially informed about the revision process and were informed only after the Election Commission
of India issued specific instructions following complaints from the Committee
for Citizenship Rights of the Chakmas of Arunachal Pradesh. The Chakma and
Hajong claimants were subjected to harassment, humiliation and were openly
discriminated by electoral officers led by the Deputy Commissioner of Changlang
district Hage Batt, who has been designated as Electoral Registration Officer
of 49-Bordumsa-Diyun and 50-Miao Assembly Constituencies. Instead of conducting the hearing of
claims and objections at Diyun, Mr Batt sat at Bordumsa, which is 60
kilometers away from Diyun. As there were no means of transportation between
Bordumsa and Diyun, none out of 7,311 Chakma and Hajong claimants from Diyun
Circle could appear for hearing. The hearings were re-held at Diyun only after
the Election Commission intervened on complaints from the Committee for Citenship Rights of
the Chakmas and Hajongs of Arunachal Pradesh (CCRCHAP).

Taking cognizance of these violations of its guidelines by
the local electoral officials, the Election Commission of India deputed two
teams to the four Chakma-Hajong inhabited Assembly Constituencies. But justice
continues to elude the Chakma and Hajong citizens as the Election Commission
has again failed them. In February 2008, the Election Commission ordered the
publication of final rolls in three of the four Assembly Constituencies(14-Doimukh, 46-Chowkham, and
50-Miao). 49-Bordumsa-Diyun remained in abeyance until further orders. Out of about
one thousand eligible voters, the names of only 201 claimants were
included in the electoral rolls in 14-Doimukh while in 46-Chowkham, out of more
than 1400 new claimants the names of only 14 were enrolled and
names of 44 previously enrolled voters deleted. Similarly in 50-Miao, only 1
out of about 4500 new claimants was included in the electoral roll.

The Election Commission of India
assured the CCRCHAP that it would send 2 more teams to Itanagar to examine claimants’ documentation from 49-Bordumsa-Diyun. At the end of the year, the Election Commission of India had failed to enforce its guidelines.

The state government of Arunachal
Pradesh signed 39 Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) with both public and private
sector developers to produce 24,471 MW as of September 2007. Some of the
companies included National Hydroelectric
Power Corporation (NHPC), North Eastern Electric Power
Corporation (NEEPCO), Reliance Energy, Jayprakash Associates and GMR Energy.[11]

Theses dams will reportedly cause displacement of large number of indigenous/tribal peoples apart from
destroying the bio-diversity of the state. Environmental and social impact
studies of these projects are reportedly inadequate. Officials argue that Arunachal
Pradesh is sparsely populated and displacement will be minimal.

The 2000 MW Subansiri Lower project
in West Siang district is supposed to displace only 38 families from two
villages. Yet the impact will be much greater as the project will adversely
affect the natural resource base on which the people in the area depend for
agriculture, fishing, and other goods and services.[12]

In June 2007, the Guwahati High
Court issued notices to the central government, the state governments of
Arunachal Pradesh and Asom and seven other government organisations, asking
them to respond to the allegations raised by the Environment Protection and
Sustainable Society (EPSS),a non-governmental organization
working on environmental issues. The EPSS moved the court to stop 13 proposed
large dams in Arunachal Pradesh which pose a risk to the future of Arunachal
Pradesh and neighbouring Asom.[13]

The rights of the prisoners
continued to be violated in Arunachal Pradesh. Undertrials were kept in police
lock-ups for months until chargesheeted. The only jail with a capacity to house
100 inmates was completed a few years back. But it could not be made functional
due to lack of able wardens as of 25 October 2007.[14]

[1]. ULFA hideouts put Arunachal on edge, The Indian Express,
21 March 2007